Studying with child(ren)
You can make this decision individually. If you do not have additional care for your child(ren), full-time study is difficult to implement. Many students with child(ren) naturally want to finish their studies quickly. With a packed schedule, keep in mind that children sometimes get sick and night work should not be the norm for health reasons. On average, students with child(ren) take four semesters longer than their fellow students without children.
The freedom of students according to § 4 paragraph 2 sentence 3 of the North Rhine-Westphalia Higher Education Act (Hochschulgesetz NRW) basically leaves it up to the students to attend and participate in courses. However, exceptions can be made in the examination regulations for courses in which attendance is considered necessary to achieve the learning objective (e.g. seminars, laboratory practicals). It is best to talk to your responsible lecturer if you expect to exceed the time limit for absences (e.g. due to supervision bottlenecks). In case of absences due to your own illness or the illness of your child, you can submit a certificate explaining and excusing your absence.
It makes sense to inform lecturers about your own situation, especially when planning a term paper, a presentation or a thesis. You should ask for an extension of the deadline in good time.
Many teachers offer individual appointments for students with child(ren). If not, KuKi will also take care of children at short notice - but you should contact KuKi beforehand and get your child settled in! If you need to take your child with you to the consultation hour, you can let the lecturer know in advance.
If you are not involved with hazardous materials, you could also try to take your child with you to a seminar - just see if it is suitable and okay for you, your child and fellow students - you can also coordinate with the lecturers. For older children who can already occupy themselves quietly for 90 minutes, bringing them along (also for the lecturer) should not be a problem.
Learning and working time is available to you during the first years of the child's life, especially when the child is sleeping or otherwise being cared for. A lot of time must be scheduled for learning and writing homework or similar, and therefore additional care may need to be organized.
More information
Brochures and leaflets
Maternity Protection Guide (pdf) - effective January 1, 2018.
Further links
Information on maternity protection for female students at TU Dortmund University - valid from January 1, 2018
Interview: "With a baby bump in everyday university life".
Interview compulsory reading: "Finances for students with children".
Information: "Studying abroad with children"
Family guide of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs
Search & People Search
Calendar
To event listLocation & approach
The campus of TU Dortmund University is located close to interstate junction Dortmund West, where the Sauerlandlinie A 45 (Frankfurt-Dortmund) crosses the Ruhrschnellweg B 1 / A 40. The best interstate exit to take from A 45 is “Dortmund-Eichlinghofen” (closer to South Campus), and from B 1 / A 40 “Dortmund-Dorstfeld” (closer to North Campus). Signs for the university are located at both exits. Also, there is a new exit before you pass over the B 1-bridge leading into Dortmund.
To get from North Campus to South Campus by car, there is the connection via Vogelpothsweg/Baroper Straße. We recommend you leave your car on one of the parking lots at North Campus and use the H-Bahn (suspended monorail system), which conveniently connects the two campuses.
TU Dortmund University has its own train station (“Dortmund Universität”). From there, suburban trains (S-Bahn) leave for Dortmund main station (“Dortmund Hauptbahnhof”) and Düsseldorf main station via the “Düsseldorf Airport Train Station” (take S-Bahn number 1, which leaves every 15 or 30 minutes). The university is easily reached from Bochum, Essen, Mülheim an der Ruhr and Duisburg.
You can also take the bus or subway train from Dortmund city to the university: From Dortmund main station, you can take any train bound for the Station “Stadtgarten”, usually lines U41, U45, U 47 and U49. At “Stadtgarten” you switch trains and get on line U42 towards “Hombruch”. Look out for the Station “An der Palmweide”. From the bus stop just across the road, busses bound for TU Dortmund University leave every ten minutes (445, 447 and 462). Another option is to take the subway routes U41, U45, U47 and U49 from Dortmund main station to the stop “Dortmund Kampstraße”. From there, take U43 or U44 to the stop “Dortmund Wittener Straße”. Switch to bus line 447 and get off at “Dortmund Universität S”.
The AirportExpress is a fast and convenient means of transport from Dortmund Airport (DTM) to Dortmund Central Station, taking you there in little more than 20 minutes. From Dortmund Central Station, you can continue to the university campus by interurban railway (S-Bahn). A larger range of international flight connections is offered at Düsseldorf Airport (DUS), which is about 60 kilometres away and can be directly reached by S-Bahn from the university station.
The H-Bahn is one of the hallmarks of TU Dortmund University. There are two stations on North Campus. One (“Dortmund Universität S”) is directly located at the suburban train stop, which connects the university directly with the city of Dortmund and the rest of the Ruhr Area. Also from this station, there are connections to the “Technologiepark” and (via South Campus) Eichlinghofen. The other station is located at the dining hall at North Campus and offers a direct connection to South Campus every five minutes.
The facilities of TU Dortmund University are spread over two campuses, the larger Campus North and the smaller Campus South. Additionally, some areas of the university are located in the adjacent “Technologiepark”.
Site Map of TU Dortmund University (Second Page in English).